Assist
by NellieRai
Summary: AU meeting. "She didn't think she would like doing this. She actually hadn't been too fond of the idea at first. But she's been in therapy for a while, learning how to crawl back out of the hole that her mother's case tossed her into. She's learning to get out of her own head. Which is how she ended up as a volunteer coach to a soccer team of rowdy munchkins."
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Nope.**

**A/N: This was a prompt from Kayla! I loved the idea of it and turned it into a three-shot. **

**Also: Thank you so much to everyone that donated to my gofund, I'm letting you know that I start classes on Monday thanks to the extra help and setting up a payment plan. I'm very very happy with how it worked out. I didn't expect to make the deadline but I did. With everyones help. So just once again, thank you.**

**So again this was a prompt and I enjoyed it so it'll be 3 chapters. **

**Obviously, I played with their ages some. And the general storyline a bit. So this is very AU.**

* * *

Saturdays have become something Kate Beckett enjoys. She didn't think she would like doing this. She actually hadn't been too fond of the idea at first. But she's been in therapy for a while, learning how to crawl back out of the hole that her mother's case tossed her into. She's learning to get out of her own head. Which is how she ended up as a volunteer coach to a soccer team of rowdy munchkins. They show her it's not always murder, drugs, guns and fear. There are happier places to spend her time than drowning in a case with no leads.

And she chose to do this. It's been a couple months since the first practice. She looks forward to it now. She enjoys helping the kids and gets a little too into it sometimes on game days. But she maybe enjoys one part a little more than she should. The parents. Parent, actually.

She'd been a little stunned the first day when a tiny redhead in little cleats and knee high socks had shown up. It wasn't so much the girl with bright eyes and a huge smile that threw her off as it was the man holding her hand. She knew him. Not personally but she knew him.

Richard Castle's daughter was on her team. That's not something she'd ever prepared herself for. But the excitement had faded considerably when he'd flashed a smile and asked what had happened to the coach from the year before.

He's been an annoyance ever since. It's been weeks dealing with his looks and the flirting. At first she'd been disgusted, watching him flirt up the moms sitting on the sidelines while his daughter played and then she'd seen him cheer for his little girl. She'd been cheering too, yelling like she does whenever she's too invested in their mock game at the end of every practice. Alexis is smaller than the others but quick and efficient, she played well.

She still does.

But Kate had seen in that moment that all he cares about is his daughter. And from then on, she's okay with him. Not with the fact that he thinks it's okay to stare at her or ask her countless times for her number. But he's alright. She respects the love he has for his daughter and she'll admit that she might have jumped the gun. He doesn't flirt, it's more politeness toward the women that flock him. He's just outnumbered. There's only two other dads and he tries to stick closer to them.

She sees that now. And maybe she smiles back when he catches her gaze. Just out of politeness.

He's still annoying. But she's developed a tolerance. And his daughter is the cutest most polite little girl she's ever met so yeah, she looks forward to seeing them each week.

And today, Alexis scored her first goal. He'd ran out and scooped her up for a hug before the ball ever touched the back of the net and Kate had spent ten minutes yelling at him for disrupting her game and asking him to get back over with the other parents. It was rather cute though.

But now she's sweaty and tired from running back and forth alongside the kids. She wants to go home, take a hot bath and fall into bed. She has an early shift tomorrow.

She gives praise before each child wanders off with their parent, reminding them of the game next week. And she's packing up her stuff when she hears the approach, when she hears a little voice chattering happily.

She's been hoping to avoid this today. But clearly this man has other plans. So she tucks her hair behind her ears and spins to face them. Her heart clenches a little. He's a good father and it makes her miss her own. He's smiling, with Alexis up on his shoulders and at first he's looking up at his daughter, making her think maybe there's a solid soccer related reason for this.

Until she hears their words and the fact that he's telling his daughter to ask something.

With a shy smile, Alexis nods and leans to whisper something in his ear. He almost looks pained by whatever she's said and Kate feels a little like an outsider. She's no more than three feet away from them but she isn't part of whatever is going on. Then suddenly, she is.

"Coach Kate," her heart flutters a little because she still can't believe she's a coach to them, she's who they look up to.

"Yes?"

"Daddy and I always go for ice cream and well I just thought maybe...do you wanna come?" Pale cheeks are flushed red and Beckett knows it's not just from the heat and exertion.

At first her heart swells and just as quickly anger flashes. He used his daughter to get her to say yes? She wants to shove him but she won't. Not while Alexis is on his shoulders. She can't say yes. But she can't say no. Not when those big blue eyes are already expecting it. There's something there she doesn't understand. She doesn't have the story but she's angry when she lifts the soccer ball toward Alexis.

She needs a minute with Richard Castle.

"Hey, uh I actually needed to talk to your dad for a minute. Do you wanna kick a few more goals?" She's already glaring at him but paints on a smile as little hands reach for the ball.

He swings the little girl around easily, efficiently. Making sure she's got her feet under her before he lets go.

As soon as Alexis is out of earshot, she lets loose. Harsh whispers just in case.

"What the hell?!" She barely refrains from shoving him. "You make your daughter ask me out?"

"Whoa, that is -"

"Didn't you get the hint the last time you asked? I'm not interested." It isn't entirely true. Because she's rather fond of his fatherly side. But he doesn't need to know that. She has no desire to be his flavor of the week.

She eyes Alexis for a second, making sure the girl can't hear and judging from the smile on her face, she can't.

When Kate turns back, there's something new in his features. Gone is the playfulness he showcases and in its place there's anger.

"Do you really think I would make my daughter do that?"

"I -"

"Do I like you? Yes, you're stunning. You're amazing with the kids and some of the parents said you're a cop which is so cool but I didn't ask Alexis, she asked me."

"Why would she ask you that?"

"She doesn't have a mom around." He ages ten years as he says it, lines forming on his forehead and her heart breaks. Her stomach drops.

Because neither does she.

"Her mother lives elsewhere. Rarely visits. And Alexis tends to attach herself to female figures she looks up to."

Beckett knows it isn't the same, because this little girl's mother is at least alive but her chest aches anyway. And she feels embarrassment creep up her spine, twist and wrap itself through every limb. She's just made a complete fool of herself.

"I - I'm sorry. I just...you asked last week and have been trying to get my number."

"I tried to tell her that it wasn't a good idea. That you're a cop and -"

"I'll go." She blurts it out, scuffing the toe of her tennis shoe in the grass, her eyes locked on the worn out kicks.

She should buy new ones.

"You will?" The shock is evident in his tone and she feels a little more guilt settle in her stomach as she draws her eyes back up to his face.

"Just an ice cream. And my treat because I accused you of...can we forget that happened?"

He nods, gives her a smile that makes her knees a little weak and then he's giving Alexis a thumbs up. She doesn't know if this is a good idea or not.

But she's getting ice cream with a man and his daughter. She's sweaty and wearing clothes she usually works out in and she's getting ice cream with Richard Castle and little Alexis.

**Prompt: Beckett as little Alexis' soccer coach.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Castle. Nor am I affiliated in anyway.**

**Author's Note: Part two to this little three parter. Hope you enjoy. :)**

It's another Saturday ice cream date with Alexis that has Beckett realizing she's come to rely on these little outings. They make her feel whole again, like she's part of something beautiful because there's a little girl chattering animatedly at her side with ice cream on her face. And Alexis doesn't even have to ask anymore. Beckett tends to just invite herself along now. A month of Saturday's have passed since Alexis asked her to join them and it became an every week thing. She hasn't missed once but last time she did cut out early because she had a late shift.

She's somehow integrated into their lives and she's worried. The little redhead is obviously attaching herself and Kate doesn't want to hurt her feelings. But what happens when their soccer season ends?

"Daddy thinks you being a cop is cool. It's allllll he talks about." Alexis says it as if it's general conversation and not something that has Kate's heart thudding just a little faster.

"Oh really?" She takes a bite of her ice cream, raising an eyebrow at the man sitting across from her.

He almost looks a little embarrassed. It's a nice change. He's usually the king of charm and jokes. He keeps them laughing and the softness in his eyes when he speaks to his daughter is something she misses terribly from her own father. But now Richard Castle looks a little uncomfortable as Alexis rambles about him telling "grams" all about Officer Beckett.

With one last look, she watches him eye his daughter with that ridiculous cut-it-out face. But she doesn't.

"He goes on for hours -"

"Hey now, I am not the only one, little miss."

Hours? She's not sure she's comfortable with where this conversation is headed. So she's the one that cuts in and changes the subject. She wraps an arm around Alexis and squeezes her shoulder.

"You did great today. You've easily become one of the best. I can tell you practice a lot."

"Daddy helps! But he broke our lamp. Twice." She holds up two fingers, her eyes rolling as she says it and Beckett isn't even surprised anymore.

"The second time wasn't even my fault!" He defends but Alexis seems unimpressed, shrugging a shoulder as she takes the last bite of her ice cream.

"I told you not to kick the ball so hard."

That's when Kate can't hold back the snicker. Because she knows just from a couple months that he never listens. How many times has she told him to stay off her field and stop hassling her? But now she sees another side to his playfulness, the interaction with his daughter. It isn't forced. It's just their relationship. She judged him too quickly. Because there's no way this man parades women in front of Alexis.

And that's dangerous. For her. She's starting to more than like him and something warm curls inside her when Alexis says she's going to wash her hands. Usually Kate follows, hasn't ever felt completely comfortable without his daughter at her side as a buffer. Today, she doesn't move. Both of them watch to make sure she makes it to the bathroom just fine though and something tugs in her chest when Alexis smiles back at her. But she returns her attention to the melted ice cream in her plastic bowl. Frowning at it because she didn't eat it quickly enough and now it's just...goop.

It's awkward for a beat. A second of thick silence that makes her ears burn and her brain race for something to say. He's staring at her, she can feel it. And she's never been a coward, not when it comes to this. So she lifts her head, meets his gaze.

"She's a good kid, Castle."

"Castle?" She ignores his surprise, barely even shrugs a shoulder. It fits him better. She can distance herself with it.

At least that was her plan when she started thinking of him by his last name. It just hasn't really worked. Backfired because now it's almost soft on her tongue. He's grown on her and that's dangerous. So is the fact that she loves his daughter.

But this isn't healthy. She can't just throw herself into their lives and Alexis is already depending on her, opening up, trusting her. That makes it worse. She thinks the girl has a little bit of hero worship and now as she looks into his blue eyes, she thinks they both do. She's no hero.

She's just a broken woman.

"I want to thank you. For doing this with Alexis." Oh god and now he's gonna make it worse.

"Look -"

"No. I mean it. I know this isn't healthy for her, I know you have a life and I know I need to talk to her about how she's developed such an attachment but -"

"It's honestly not a big deal." It is. She's lying. "I enjoy spending time with her. She's a very bright and loving little girl."

She can see him swell with pride. It's in his shoulders, on his features as he beams and glances over toward the bathrooms.

"But...soccer is seasonal."

"I know, and so does she."

"I'm not saying I wouldn't be willing to still meet up for ice cream." What is she saying? She doesn't even know what she's trying to do but something lights in his gaze and heat curls in her stomach.

Oh no. No, no, no. She knows better, she knows and yet her mouth has other ideas.

"Maybe lunch sometimes."

"You would do that for her?" His tone is a mix of disbelief and wonder and it irks her just a little.

"Of course I would. I wouldn't just say see-ya after spending so much time with her -"

"I wasn't implying that. I really wasn't. This is just new."

Her heart twists for them both.

"New can be good." She can't believe she just said that. A flush of embarrassment floods her cheeks when his lips twitch. Why is she even looking at his mouth? She knows why. She likes him. And it's not going away. She makes a decision quickly. A rash one that may completely blow up in her face. "Uh...maybe dinner would be okay too."

"I'd have to talk to the boss, she doesn't like taking me out much. Claims I'm embarrassing." He's joking, she knows but he missed her hidden message.

"Actually, I uh, meant just us." The goopy mess in her bowl becomes interesting again. And his silence stretches for several seconds, makes her question how long Alexis needs to wash her hands.

He's staring but it's different now. She can feel the intensity. The spark.

"Kate Beckett, did you just ask me on a date?"

And just like that, she's back to scoffing at him. But it worked, he broke the ice and she's smiling, less nervous.

"That depends on how it goes." She's back in the game. Leaning forward, resting her arms on the table as she smirks at him.

He's about to say something, mouth already opening when Alexis slides back in next to her. The moment put on pause as his daughter re-enters the conversation.

"There was the longest line in the bathroom. I thought I'd have sticky hands forever." There's a flare of drama and exasperation that makes Beckett long for this.

This is a family. This is what she doesn't have. Alexis isn't the only one attaching herself. She's not the only one with abandonment issues. This whole arrangement could end very badly. And it'll be Alexis who pays the price. But then she's giggling, her face alive with happiness and Kate knows she's been doomed from the moment they walked onto her practice field.

It's just solidified when they step outside together and Alexis slips her hand into Kate's. This is usually when they go separate ways but she walks with them a little ways. Because she doesn't want to break away just yet and because he keeps looking at her like she's beautiful. Despite her NYPD shirt and yoga pants, it's as if he doesn't even remember how sweaty she was an hour ago.

"You can come if you want." She barely hears it, she hasn't heard anything Alexis has said.

"Sorry, what? I was daydreaming." She won't tell a child she just wasn't paying attention.

"I'm in a play at school. It's Tuesday."

"Oh, sweetie, I don't know if I can."

"That's okay. You must be really busy." She is. Most of the time. But she stops walking, tugs on Alexis' hand until she stops too. She crouches down in front of her and makes sure she has her full attention.

"I am. I'm very busy a lot of the time but if I can manage, I'll come. I'm not promising to be there because I honestly don't know if I can make it. But I can try. Okay?"

"Okay." Even with the smile that spreads on Alexis' face, Kate is still a little stunned when the tiny redhead wraps her arms around her.

The hug is sweet, reciprocated despite being stared at by Castle. She gives her an extra squeeze before she untangles and stands back up.

"I should go."

"We could walk you home." He blurts it out as if he just wants a few more minutes and she almost accepts.

She has to bite her lip to keep the smile from splitting. She shakes her head, pushes a wayward lock of her hair back. Oh god, she probably looks like a mess. The short ends curl when wet and dry in all different directions. Usually she doesn't care. She doesn't really put much effort into her appearance, she's just trying to make it in a male dominated profession so it's best not to draw attention to your looks.

But he makes her feel like putting in the effort.

"I actually have something I need to do before heading home." It's not a lie. She's planning to check up on her dad.

"Oh, alright. Well I guess we'll see you Saturday."

"Maybe Tuesday, if I can make it." She corrects him and tosses a wink at Alexis.

"About that...other thing?"

"Do you have a pen?" For a second he seems confused by her question but then he catches up. Nodding enthusiastically and reaching in the pocket of his jeans. "You always carry a pen in your pocket?"

"Writer thing. Always carry something to write with."

She chooses not to say anything more about it. There are jokes in there somewhere but she won't drag them out. Instead she takes the pen he offers and grabs hold of his hand too.

"I have pa- okay this works too." Of course he probably carries a little notebook or something but she grabbed him before she thought it through.

His skin is warm, hot against her own and it takes a moment before she remembers what she was doing. And then she finishes quickly, writing out her phone number and nothing else. No cute note, not even her name. Just the digits because she's cradling his hand in her own and it feels entirely too intimate.

She drops her hand from his, gives the pen back and gives him a small smile.

"Don't let this go to your head, okay? And Alexis can use it too, no hogging." It's a tease, a way for her to gain back some of the control. Though she's almost positive he was just as stunned by the touch.

"And we'll talk about -"

"If you call, yeah. Or text, that's my cell." The look on his face tells her everything. He's going to call as soon as possible.

Those first few weeks he asked for her phone number, asked her to dinner and she'd blown it off. Because it seemed like a joke but this doesn't.

This doesn't seem like a potential fling at all. And oddly enough that scares her.

"Okay, I really do need to go. I'll see you both soon." She accepts another hug from Alexis, kind of expected it.

She doesn't expect the one that comes from him. She's in his arms before she can move away. A warm quick embrace that could easily be between two friends but it isn't. Her asking him to dinner proved that. She doesn't have time to return it, to hug him back because he's pulling away as if he's just as shocked as she is. Mumbling an apology that has her smiling, telling him it's okay.

She squeezes his arm and then she walks away. She needs time to think through some things. She asked Richard Castle on a date.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle. **

**A/N: Slowly getting some writing done. And finishing up some fics. :) Thanks so much for sticking around and reading, I hope you enjoy this last chapter to what started as a quick fic. Sorry about the wait guys. **

Nervous doesn't even begin to cover it. Kate Beckett is a level above nervous.

She's a little hot despite the dress she's slipped into. She's sweating, her heart is racing, and her hands tremble a little when she reaches up to brush mascara on her lashes. This is ridiculous. She's a grown woman and she's been out before, dressed up and all that hullabaloo but not quite like this.

She has a date. She's had dates before but this is...more. A date that she's not sure she's ready for and yet, it'd been her who asked. She had asked and now she's having an internal freak out while adding the last few touches to her makeup.

He's never seen her in anything but the sweaty shirt and shorts - sometimes yoga pants - she wears to soccer practices but tonight Richard Castle is going to see a different side of her. It's a little terrifying and she feels a bit like a schoolgirl getting ready for her first date because her palms are sweating and her heart thumps wildly. She likes him. She loves his daughter and they've been going for ice cream after practice for awhile now. Calm down, Kate.

She stares at herself in the mirror, caps the mascara and blows out a slow breath. She can do this. It's just Castle. The man who orders too many sprinkles on his ice cream and drowns it in chocolate syrup and a variety of other sweets that make her cringe just thinking about it.

They've been out before. Never without Alexis but it can't be that different.

Kate knows she's wrong the second she hears the knock. She bangs her knee against the cabinet in her haste to get to the door. Cursing, she runs her fingers through the short strands of her hair and smooths the black fabric of her dress down one last time. This is definitely nothing like getting ice cream with him and his daughter.

And Kate Beckett is not prepared for the man standing on the other side of the door. When she opens it and pastes what she hopes passes for a relaxed smile on her face, she's met with piercing blue eyes and a smile that probably matches her own. He's nervous too.

Gone is the smooth, charming man and that has heart racing, her stomach twisting in knots. Because this feels different. This feels like something more than just a first date. And when he thrusts the bouquet between them, she huffs out a laugh in surprise.

"These are for you." Obviously. But she doesn't tell him that because they're beautiful and purple. She loves purple.

"Thank you, you didn't have to do that." And yet, she's glad he did.

Because it's sweet. He's sweet. The flowers are just a glimpse at the man she's come to know over the last several weeks. The one she likes. Really likes. Her stomach twists again and something new races through her veins. A heat that pools low in her abdomen, a pulse between her thighs. She put this dress on in hopes of rendering him speechless, she'd wanted to turn him on. But she'd planned that to be a one way reaction, a tease the entirety of the night while she remained in control. Now it seems as though her control snapped the moment he knocked. Did she ever have control? She doesn't know what to do with that.

They're just staring at each other, eyes locked and she can feel her body react as though he's already touched her. A zing beneath her skin that has her pulse pounding and warmth spreading through her limbs. She feels a little buzzed and she hasn't had a drop of alcohol.

"Kate?" It's a tentative whisper of her name but it sends a shiver down her spine. Without his daughter as a buffer, Kate's faced with the fact that he's deeper under her skin than she ever realized and she gives herself a moment to process.

And to check him out because his eyes have roamed and it's her turn. He's wearing a tie. It's a blue that makes his eyes pop and she wonders if that was a conscious decision on his part or if maybe Alexis helped. Something clenches in her gut at the thought of his daughter and she drags her gaze back up to his. He looks good. Damn good.

"Do you just want me to stand here while you put those in water or do -"

"Oh. Oh! No. Come in. Sorry." She ushers him inside, cursing herself silently for being an idiot.

It's different the moment he steps into her apartment. The air thickens and she tries to busy herself with the flowers. The impossibly sweet bouquet. It doesn't help much because she glances up and he's looking around, nosing through her little knickknacks.

It's nerve wracking and awkward and she doesn't understand why. They've talked, they know each other. Why is it making her heart pound like mad just to have him inside her place? The answer to that is something she fears she already knows. In the burn between her hips.

He smiles at her when she finds the vase, fills it with some water. That's the moment she decides this whole situation is beyond ridiculous. That's the moment she chooses to forget the flowers, to join him by her collection of books. He's startled when she touches his side, when her fingers wrap around and she feels his exhale against her hair. And then the sharp inhale when she pulls an old copy of one of his books from his hands. He doesn't look smug, not like she imagined. He looks curious, even more so when she places the book down and steps closer. His eyebrows raise, blue eyes widening and he must know what's about to happen because his hands grip her biceps, gently pushing her back.

"Kate,"

"This is awkward. This date," she murmurs, stepping closer again and he doesn't stop her this time. "It shouldn't be. I think it's because we know where this is going. Both of us."

"We do?"

"Mhm. We go out, we have a nice easy date." She shrugs a shoulder, tilts her head a little when he tries to protest. "Maybe we take a walk and you bring me home, kiss me outside my door."

"That's entirely predictable and boring. Do I seem boring?" He sounds almost offended and she's biting back a laugh because no, he's the opposite.

"No. Which is why I'm changing the itinerary for this evening."

"You are?" He squeaks, she laughs and he tries it again. Deeper this time, the tone low and entirely too arousing.

She barely nods, too set on nudging her nose against his and parting her lips. Touching seems to help with the nerves. Sort of. It's grounding and not nearly as awkward as bumbling around trying to find something to say and knowing the night will lead to them being more than friends who take his daughter for ice cream after soccer practice. Jumping in seems to be the best option and when he leans forward, she assumes he's thinking the same.

"So we uh -" he trails off when she rubs her nose over his.

"Are gonna kiss. Get it over with." That's when he balks, when she feels his body tense against hers but she doesn't retreat. Glad for the height of the heels, she rocks forward to press her mouth to his.

It's warm. Soft. Until it isn't. Until her lips part and he groans. Until her hips shift and his hand slides around to rest on her rear. Then it gets heated. No longer a soft exploration, it's more. A caress of lips, a slick of his tongue over hers and she's melting into him. Forgetting all about their date, the dinner he undoubtedly has planned. She doesn't want it anymore. She just wants him. The goofy, annoying man who somehow won her over. The ridiculously skilled kisser with wandering hands who already has her hair a mess by the time she nips his bottom lip before pulling away to catch her breath.

She doesn't know how this happened. How he found his way under her skin and burrowed into her chest but something tells her it was between the third and fourth ice cream outing with his daughter that started it.

And now she's panting in his face, her breath mingling with his and she isn't the one stealing a kiss this time. He is. And if she thought their first kiss was explosive, he's set out to prove her wrong. It's a hard kiss, short and ending with a smack of their lips parting.

It takes a moment to will her eyes open, an even longer moment to realize his are dark, with a storm of arousal brewing and somehow that satisfies her. But she doesn't want dinner anymore, doesn't want to leave her apartment at all.

"We need to go or we'll miss the reservation." His voice is strained and she knows why. She's thrown him off, his plan disrupted by her kiss and now he's torn.

He wants to stay in but he wants to be respectful and damned if that doesn't make him even more attractive.

"I don't need a reservation."

"You -"

"We can order in. Or get burgers later." She's being presumptuous, smudging another kiss to his lips. Short, soft. Tempting him.

"Later?"

"Way later, maybe -" The rest of her sentence is nothing more than a mumble into the cavern of his mouth.

* * *

Her dress is somewhere between the front door and the bedroom, her heels lost to who knows where and she's still humming from the blistering heat of him. From going to bed with Richard Castle and having a great time on their date.

She's plastered against him, enjoying the feel of his fingers tripping up and down her spine. First date etiquette was thrown out the window and she doesn't regret a single second. This is comfortable. Being with him, just sharing space and smiling against his shoulder when he mentions something about how he didn't expect this when he knocked on her door.

Neither did she. But it's better than the thick awkwardness of an impending first date. Of the pressure to do everything right.

"Do you need to go?" She's trying to politely ask about his daughter. Because she cares about her too and doesn't want to be the reason for his absence.

"No."

"Expecting to get lucky tonight, Castle?" She's smirking as she says it but she's genuinely curious if he'd thought their night would end with the sheets tangled around them. Had he set up a babysitter for the entire night?

Although, technically, they haven't even gone on their date yet so perhaps he was right in doing so.

"No. This just coincided with a birthday sleepover Alexis was going to." He whispers it, as if it's their secret, as if he's trying to keep whatever bubble they've created from popping and something about that has a shiver racing down her spine.

He pulls her closer, tugs the blanket up tighter around her as if he thinks she's cold. It's sweet. Unnecessary and entirely too much.

"You looked beautiful in that dress, shame we didn't go anywhere."

"I didn't think you'd mind since you got to see what was beneath it." The low rumble that comes from his chest is paired with his hand gripping her hip and she flashes a grin at him. They should probably talk more, they should probably be serious. He has a daughter.

Kate sobers some thinking about Alexis and how attached she's become. What if this makes it all worse somehow?

"So I don't know much about your dating life but -"

"Kate, I think you should know you're the only woman I've had around Alexis in a very long time. I know you're thinking about it and you need to know we both care about you."

"Okay so are we dating or just having some fun?" She's not sure which possible answer scares her more. And she busies herself with tracing patterns on his chest to keep from looking at him.

"I think I have the question that answers yours."

"What?" Now she looks up. Because he isn't making any sense. But his eyes are serious, even in the dark of her bedroom, she can see it.

"Am I staying the night or am I going home? Choice is yours. Always has been."

And somehow that's the perfect answer. Somehow he's answered her question with one of his own and her reply is to push herself up and press her mouth to his jaw, then his lips. Lingering just a bit because he's staying. He's definitely staying.


End file.
